A Man of Double Deed Read online

  ‘You’ve taken CT pills. Why?’

  He laughed again, settling himself in a chair. ‘Oh well, one always wants to look and be at one’s best with guests you know.’

  ‘You didn’t really expect Coman – is that it?’

  ‘Well, yes, for some reason I’d imagined he was still away but —’

  She turned. ‘And you don’t want him. Then why on Earth didn’t you retract when I told you?’

  He bit his lip gently. Evidently he had not taken enough of those confounded pills, or else they were not as good as reported.

  ‘The rule is that the person one invites can bring whom they like.’

  Jonl frowned, annoyed with herself as well as with him. The judge was a stickler for etiquette, and, as for herself, she had known her father disliked Coman, but this was the first time she had realised the extent of his dislike.

  ‘I believe you actually hate him.’

  Elman looked genuinely aggrieved. ‘Hate him? What nonsense. It’s just that there’s something about keypeople that – well, gives me an uneasy feeling.’

  ‘And …?’

  He signalled to the robot standing by the door, and, when it moved to him, helped himself to an extra strong drink.

  ‘I’ll be frank,’ he said, with sudden irritation, ‘I think that you’re a gifted woman, and that you are prevented from work of importance by your association with this man.’

  ‘I see.’ Her face was paler than usual and she found herself obliged to breath more slowly and deeply.

  ‘I’ve no doubt,’ Elman continued, ‘that you’ve derived a good deal of pleasure from your somewhat unusual partnership – the pleasure permutations must be almost endless. The girl is indeed lovely, in a doll-like way, and can do you no harm. But surely there are more attractive and useful men?

  ‘Like Supreme Court judges, for instance?’ Her voice was still cool and level.

  ‘Well, yes. Now that you mention it, I happen to know at least two influential men, and in fact there is an individual of power in Section Control who has expressed deep interest in you, in my hearing. Surely you’d like to do something more important and interesting than cataloguing butterflies and insects, and playing nursemaid to an old fool like Pel Raws!’

  She smiled then, for in the face of his colossal ignorance of her true feelings, both in regard to her work and to Coman, she could feel nothing but amused contempt. Something of this must have showed in her face for he frowned, fingering the tiny moustache which was fashionable just then.

  ‘You always wanted me to go in for law,’ she said, ‘and even now, when I’m quite happy in other work, you’d like to drag me into it by other methods. Let me be frank. I’m not happy about the laws of Earth, or those who enforce the laws. And I happen to be very old-fashioned about men. As for the girl, she is a delight I share with him, but make no mistake, he is the important one – to me and to Sein.’

  ‘How cosy, for him,’ he replied, unable to prevent a sneer.

  She stared at him thoughtfully for a long moment and then turned back to the window. Her tone, when she spoke again, was low and well controlled: ‘I count myself lucky to have met Claus Coman, and to have this special relationship. And if any person should ever try to endanger or spoil that relationship, I swear that I’d not rest until that person was ruined or dead.’

  The judge was a little shocked. If Jonl had not known the depth of his dislike for Coman it was also true that he had not guessed the measure of her feelings, and he felt rather like a man douched with cold water. The pills were, of course, quite useless, and it seemed to Elman that he would have to make some kind of reassessment, or at least give things more time. Just then both he and Jonl heard the front door buzzer and saw on the closed circuit the faces of two people they had been discussing.

  When the aircar had touched down on the strip of stone-felt a mile or so from the judge’s home, and they had descended from the vehicle, Coman had felt the pain repercussions of what had happened nearby. The crazed minds of women in terrible pain, the despair and anguish of the dying, a child’s terror as it saw its mother gasping with a mouthful of blood, the wild panic rising to crescendo, the scrabbling and shoving, the sick amusement and weird fury of the killers themselves, and, afterwards, the acute wariness of the pursuers. Fortunately these pain waves were at the end of their perceptible reverberations and Coman was able to erect blocks to deaden them further. Nevertheless, an overall sense of danger and madness made him grasp Sein by the arm and hurry her through the Station barriers to where the conveyor belts rose above ground. Settled in a double seat, they sped swiftly to where the flats towered, each one separated by a short, vertical block of concrete up and down which travelled the seventy-mile-an-hour lifts.

  It was as they entered one of these that Coman realised one of the wanted youths was somewhere in the building. Somewhere … As they shot upwards the youth came nearer. He was thinking: Who’s that coming now? I’ve still got … I’ll stay here … yes, three capsules … they’ll not take me … I’ll kill … who the hell … wait, don’t panic. What’s the matter? This is what you wanted isn’t it? Careful, here they come … I’ll …

  But the lift went to the next floor, and the next, then stopped. As the thoughts receded, Coman’s face cleared, beads of sweat glistening on his nostrils. Sein must have sensed something strange, for she asked: ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘It’s hot in here,’ he answered shortly. He was unarmed except for a pencil-like weapon that fired sleep-needles and was inaccurate over a distance of twenty feet. As they waited outside the judge’s door his mind listened anxiously, but the youth stayed in the flat below. Then, at last, Coman and the girl were inside and he could say to the lank-haired boy who opened the door: ‘I want a telephone immediately.’

  ‘I’m not a servant,’ answered the lad with a simper that the judge had always found rather attractive. Coman sighed, went to the switch panel in the wall and pressed the requisite button himself. By the time the robot had arrived and he had contacted the police, Jonl and her father had come into the hall, and they heard him say: ‘Yes, in apartment number 1009. Never mind how I know or who I am – just get on with the job.’

  With this he operated the scrambler, in order to prevent the call from being traced, and put down the receiver.

  ‘No wonder you seemed so odd in the lift,’ said Sein afterwards, as they sat in the living room with their drinks.

  The police had arrived in a matter of moments, and, after a short battle, had taken the youth’s body away on one of their flying platforms. The sergeant had then buzzed them and asked routine questions, but Judge Elman, like the other residents who happened to be ‘at home’, had denied all knowledge of the anonymous phone call. Eventually everyone was left alone once more.

  ‘You see how useful it is to have someone with ESP around,’ said Jonl, for the judge’s benefit. She walked over and laid her fingers on Coman’s face, a salute omitted in the earlier excitement.

  ‘I don’t understand it,’ said Elman. ‘How did the lad get into the place? Every one of these flats is fitted with a foolproof safety system.’

  ‘He lives there,’ said Coman.

  Elman considered this carefully. ‘Yet it seems incredible. The people there are highly respectable, the father an eminent Civil Service official.’

  ‘Nevertheless,’ said Coman. He had already forgotten the incident and was concentrating on the impressions reaching him now. Jonl and her father had been having some kind of argument, and it had probably been about himself. He was, of course, aware that the judge disliked him, and he had been wondering for some time how he had come to be invited. Now abruptly he dismissed the question.

  Not only intuition but his own experiences had convinced Coman that everything – even the smallest incident, the most apparently insignificant action in a person’s life – followed an intricate but none the less meaningful pattern in a jigsaw which left no unfilled spaces. That such a pattern could o
nly have been designed from outside ‘human life’, and that, in the final analysis, all was integral and accountable, was a theory on which he preferred to keep an open mind.

  The judge was thinking: Didn’t like having to lie to that policeman, but what else? – unless you want unnecessary interference of privacy. If Coman hadn’t been – in this case thank Pluto he was – to the devil with it, something has to be done! The committee has got to pass the thing … of course it all depends on Marst, that pig-head – he can kill the whole idea if he so wishes …

  So Elman actually knew some, or at least one, of the Committee members. This was natural enough, for he was connected with a number of influential people, many in local government and one or two in World Council circles.

  ‘Well, I believe lunch is about ready,’ said the judge.

  He led the way out on to the terrace which overlooked the plain land reaching to the City. The conveyor belts below stretched across the yellow earth in a network of gleaming blue strips, running through and around the tall, white buildings that housed over a million people. Up above, suspended at varying heights, the sun platforms, the radio and video stations, police viewpoints, sonic beam cutters and all the other paraphernalia of the age were partly hidden by cloud.

  ‘I think you’ll enjoy this little meal,’ said Elman. ‘It was prepared by hand, not robots. My young friend here, Janc, dreamed it up.’ He motioned to the boy who was waiting for them, smiling and twitching with pleasure.

  When they were seated the judge went on: ‘A soup made from cleb roots and plebs tongues, followed by salad and a joint of our very best beef from Section 9. Afterwards, a most delicious sweet of Janc’s own design.’

  He was fond of his stomach, was the judge. He looked at his watched and commented: ‘It’s time for rain.’

  Even as he uttered the words, the first spots came, and soon the whole area was obscured by the fine, driving stuff. By the time they had finished the first course, however, it had been cut and remained only on the cultivated stretch towards the west side of the house.

  Later Coman said: ‘An enjoyable meal. Will you permit me to smoke?’

  Jonl looked at him quickly, but her father replied: ‘In the circumstances, yes – although I must confess that I cannot understand why someone like you cannot easily break the habit. Apart from the fine or imprisonment you can incur, it is generally agreed to be an unhealthy habit.’

  Elman took another drink.

  ‘Old wives’ tales,’ replied Coman, lighting up and relaxing comfortably. He gazed at the judge speculatively. Elman was not a conscious hypocrite, but he was certainly a fat, self-indulgent egotist – though shrewd and fair as regards more important matters.

  ‘Stop reading my mind,’ he said irritably.

  ‘I’m not. I’m aware that the normal person believes all ESPs are without scruples or manners of any kind, but I can assure you that most of us use our gift only in special circumstances, and not out of curiosity or vindictiveness. Besides, you are my host and I’ve eaten at your table …’

  ‘All right, I’m sorry,’ said the judge. In fact he was ashamed of himself for being so touchy, and was genuinely grateful for Coman’s quick action over the wanted youth. ‘I’m afraid that it’s natural for normals to feel at a disadvantage in the presence of an ESP. I believe you’ll admit that?’

  ‘I must. And that is the cross I and my sort have to bear, do you see that?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘I have the feeling that one day every human will possess the faculty and then – who knows?’ Coman’s voice was soft and reflective. ‘We may proceed to other and bigger things.’ He paused, and then: ‘Did you know that your own daughter could, with the requisite effort and concentration, attain extra-sensory perception herself?’

  They all stared at him, Sein puzzled, Jonl with wide eyes and the judge with alarmed disbelief. ‘Oh now look here …’

  Coman nodded, smiling. ‘She knows it too, but does not wish it – except, perhaps, during love-making.’

  ‘Really, Claus!’

  He looked at Jonl quizzically and Sein laughed. ‘What would I do then?’ she asked in mock alarm.

  ‘Exactly,’ said Coman.

  ‘I confess myself frightened of it,’ said Jonl. For once her composure was disturbed, and her father saw a part of her nature he had not suspected existed.

  ‘There would be – much pain, and I hate all pain.’

  Coman changed the subject. ‘What is your opinion regarding the suggestion of a War Section, judge?’

  It took a moment for Elman to collect his thoughts, then: ‘I’m all for the idea, as all sensible people should be.’

  ‘I detest it,’ said Sein quietly.

  Elman smiled at her benevolently, without answering, and Coman went on: ‘Do you think they will pass the necessary resolution?’

  The judge would not commit himself. ‘I hope so. The idea has been in many people’s mind for some time, and now most of us are ready for it to be put into practice. No one is safe from these young fools – look what happened her today.’

  ‘It appears that they come from every strata of society,’ commented Jonl.

  The judge gave her a wary look. ‘Very well, so there are many things wrong with our social life and with our methods of education. That’s an old cry and has been used for centuries. At any rate, the new laws regarding full State control over every child’s upbringing should soon change things for the better. The immediate fact is that we are up against extreme violence of the worst kind, violence without profit or motive, an insanity which must be curtailed or channelled into a closed area where it can do no harm to innocent, law-abiding people.’

  ‘This seems such a damned easy, police answer,’ said Jonl.

  Elman frowned. ‘Other, long-term experiments can and will be found. Meanwhile, we are faced not only with professional criminals, but with these new cohorts of murders and suicides, who will be, and probably are already being used by those professionals in one way or another. This state of affairs must be dealt with summarily.’

  ‘I’m inclined to agree,’ said Coman.

  ‘Are you indeed? I should have thought your sort would have taken an open view.’

  Coman shrugged. ‘I spoke for myself. Perhaps we are both wrong.’

  Elman eyed him suspiciously. ‘Hum, well, I can assure you it is the only workable plan. I’m not an inhumane man but I find all this fussing and heart-searching by the intelligentsia pitiful in the extreme. I’ve no doubt that these hooligans could be reformed and guided into a proper awareness of their duties to society – if millions of koneas were spent, and hundreds of thousands of teachers and wet-nursed could be found and persuaded to risk their lives in the execution of this reform. If! Meanwhile thousands of harmless citizens are being killed, for no reason.’

  ‘There is always a reason,’ said Coman.

  ‘What is it, then? Why have all these boys and girls gone mad? But, of course, one must remember that keymen are gifted with all those special senses, and a wisdom denied to normal people …’

  For an instant Coman’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’ve said that I’m inclined to agree with your solution.’

  ‘So you did, but I suspect your motives. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to tell us the reason for their madness?’

  Jonl looked at her watch. ‘We’ve all had a most instructive and enjoyable hour, following a very pleasant meal, but I think we ought to go now. Thank you for everything, father.’

  ‘What’s all the hurry for?’ asked Elman. He held the glass in his hand up to the light and squinted at it shrewdly. ‘We happen to be right in the middle of a most charming discussion, and if I’m lucky I might learn something to my advantage!’

  Jonl gazed at him with affection, but also with a measure of pity, and she thought: Only the presence of Coman could have caused him to drink too much and take so many pills. Such an antipathy might bring great danger to all of us. It was a mistake to come, and mus
t not be repeated.

  ‘No. I really think we should go.’

  Chapter III

  THERE WAS SILENCE between the three of them until they were in the aircar, speeding towards the City. The robot controls clicked and whirred in a metronomic rhythm, and the sun shone blindingly into the small cabin. Jonl was the first to speak.

  ‘Claus Coman,’ she declared suddenly.

  Coman was lounging on the opposite side of the compartment not smoking, because they were all clearly visible to the car controllers on the ground. His eyes were blank and unseeing, but he gave a little nod to show that he had heard.

  ‘I know that you’re often able to disarm hostility in another person’s mind if you wish to do so. Why not that man?’

  After a moment he said: ‘It would be unfair and futile. The reasons for your father’s dislike are many, but the major one, fear, he can only overcome himself.’

  ‘You could help.’

  ‘No. In any case, I haven’t the time or inclination.’ He turned to stare at her. ‘What do you take me for – a glorified head-shrinker, or yet another fool playing God? I have one doubtful advantage over the ordinary man – that of being constantly aware of the human condition. Of just how close to misery and death each one of us is at every moment, of how pathetic and stupid we are, how bloody-minded and how sad.’

  She was silent for a while, then: ‘Yet you want me to have the same awareness.’

  Sein had risen meanwhile and put her hand upon Coman’s cheekbone, gazing meanwhile at Jonl, with an anxious expression, for she perceived that he had entered a state of great emotional tension. All telepaths experience such moments, for reasons not always apparent to the normal person, and Sein hated and feared them when they occurred in Coman.